Ridgeline Snow; Showers Return Sunday Night
Good morning folks! It's been a fun start to the day as we track high elevation snow falling across the region, with wet flakes falling across the Smokies and Great Balsams and much higher rates falling in NW NC, resulting in a dusting on the ground at Beech Mountain Resort and a skiff of snow reported in Yancy County along the TN line. Snowfall aside, we'll deal with a mixed bag of sun and clouds today, becoming sunny this afternoon but NW winds will remain strong around 10 - 20mph, gusting to 40mph along the ridgelines. High pressure slides into the region today and migrates east on Saturday, with NW flow providing a very slight chance for showers along the TN line, while the rest of SW NC enjoys more sun than clouds. It will be a picture perfect day for those who wish to capture a long range view, with humidity levels noticeably lower throughout the day. Moisture returns Saturday night as southerly flow takes over, setting the stage for isolated showers on Sunday, alongside increasing cloud cover as the day moves along. Scattered showers develop Sunday night as a cold front crosses the region, extending coverage into Monday, winding down as we approach the evening hours on Monday. Isolated showers will hang around Monday night and through the day on Tuesday, with an uptick in coverage late in the day on Wednesday as piece of upper level energy swings into the region. Temps will be on the cool side today, a touch warmer on Saturday (upper 60's), and very comfortable on Sunday as they hit the upper 70's due to increasing southerly flow. We'll see a slow trend downwards in temps as we move through next week, starting out in the low 70's Monday, likely settling into the low - mid 60's by Thursday.
We'll start the timeline on Saturday, with mostly sunny skies overhead as sunrise rolls into view and sunshine should be the dominate weather feature for the day, however isolated showers are possible along the TN line as NW flow continues. NW winds will remain strong as they hold to the 10 - 20mph range, but we do expect wind speeds to drop down to a light breeze after sunset. Temps warm to the upper 40's - mid 60's depending upon elevation and the early May sun angle will certainly offset any chill we experience from steady NW winds. Overnight lows drop into the upper 30's - mid 40's depending upon elevation, under increasing clouds.
Sunday will be warm but that's about it in terms of exciting/welcoming weather, with clouds building as the day moves along and a possible isolated shower or two along the escarpment due to an uptick in southerly flow. Temps warm to the mid 60's - upper 70's depending upon elevation, with overnight lows capped to the mid - upper 50's across the region as shower coverage expands to scattered levels after midnight.
Monday will start the day with widespread showers and coverage will slowly wane as the day moves along, with rainfall totals in the 0.25 - 0.50" range from Sunday evening into Monday evening. Temps cool down slightly to the low 60's - low 70's across the region and the setup will remain muggy well into the latter part of next week. Overnight lows dip into the mid 40's - low 50's and isolated showers will carry over into Tuesday morning.
Tuesday through Thursday will remain active with isolated showers on Tuesday, scattered showers later in the day Wednesday, possibly ramping up to widespread, heavier rainfall on Thursday. Temps Tuesday warm to the mid 50's - low 70's and cool down a few degrees to the low 50's - upper 60's Wednesday. If the heavy rain materializes on Thursday, high temps could be capped at the low - mid 60's but our confidence remains low this far out in time.
We'll stop here and circle back on Sunday, closer to midday, with a new discussion. ENJOY!